Kennedy School Launches New Kuwait Program

CAMBRIDGE, Mass –Thanks to a generous contribution from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government has launched a new program to expand teaching and research on the critical issues facing Kuwait and the Gulf region, Dean Joseph S. Nye has announced.
"The Kennedy School welcomes the opportunity to become more engaged in building bridges, opening and furthering dialogue, training leaders, and developing relationships with Kuwait and its neighbors," said Nye.
In a reception and celebratory dinner held recently at the Harvard Faculty Club, Kuwaiti and Saudi Arabian leaders recognized the new program as a vital link between the United States and the Arab world.
"The Kennedy School, hailed as a leader in training policy makers, is the ideal setting for the Kuwait Program," said Dr. Ali Al-Shamlan, KFAS Director-General. "Governments come and governments go, but the Kuwait Program will create exchanges between people that will last forever."
H.R.H. Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States, echoed these sentiments: "The program is a significant step because it is a bridge between different civilizations and different cultures."
The Kuwait Program will allow leaders from Kuwait and its Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) partners, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, to utilize the resources of Harvard University and the Kennedy School of Government to enhance cultural understanding, academic exchange, and global networks. This new program will provide the opportunity for advanced research by faculty on critical issues of importance to Kuwait.
Providing fellowships for advanced executive training and post-doctoral research for scholars and practitioners from Kuwait and its Gulf neighbors, the Kuwait Program also establishes a Kuwait Foundation Professorship of International Affairs at Harvard University. Customized executive programs on issues relevant to Kuwait and the Gulf Cooperation Council will be a vital component of this program.
"The Kuwait Program, as it builds a bridge of understanding between Arabic culture and American culture, will strengthen bilateral ties between Kuwait and the United States," said His Excellency Mohammed Sabadah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s Ambassador to the US.The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) is a private organization oriented towards public service. Established in 1976, KFAS awards grants, prizes and recognition to enhance intellectual development in Kuwait and other Arab countries, in addition to training Kuwaiti nationals by granting scholarships and fellowships for academic and training purposes and holding symposiums and scientific conferences.